Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-04-29

e-NA' AAAOA
Talmage, D. D., read from the Book of Pro-
verbs some lessons about honest thrift. He
then gave out the hymn beginning:
The strife will not be long
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song
The boy choir chanted an opening and clos
ing selection. Dr. Talmage's discourse was
entitled: Behind the Counter; or, Trials
and Encouragements of Statesmen and Sales
women" He took the two following passages
as his text: And a certain woman named
Lydia, q seller of purple, of the city of Thy
atira. which worshiped God, heard US; whose
heart the Lord opened Acts xvi, A. "Seest
thou man diligent in his business, he shall
stand before kings. "-Proverbs xxi, 20. The
preacher said:
The first passage introduces to you Lydia,
a Christian merchantess Her business is to
deal in purple cloths or silks. She is not
giggling nonenity, but practical woman,
not ashamed to work for her living All the
other women of Philippi and Thyatira have
been forgotten but God has made immortal
in our text Lydia, the Christian saleswoman.
The other text shows you man with head
and hand and heart and foot all busy toiling
on up until he gains princely success.
''Seest thou man diligent in business, he
shall stand before kings" Great encourage
ment in these two passages for men and
women who will be busy, but no solace for
those who are waiting for good luck to show
them, at the foot of the rainbow, casket of
buried gold. 1t is folly for anybody in this
world to wait for something to turn up It
will turn down. The law of thrift is as mex
orabe as the law of the tides. Fortune, the
magician, may wave her arm in that direc-
ton until castles and palaces come; but she
will, after while, invert the same wand, and
all the splendors will vanish into thin air.
There are certain styles of behavior which
lead to usefulness, honor and permanent sue
cess, and there are certain styles of behavior
which lead to DUST dishonor and moral de-
fault. | would like to fire the ambition of
young people. l have no sympathy with
those who would prepare young folks for life
by whiting down their expectations. That
man or woman will be worth nothing to
church or state who begins life eowed down.
The business of Christianity is not to quench
but to direct human ambition. Therefore it
is that | come out this morning and utter
words of encouragement to those who are oc-
cupied as clerks in the stores and shops and
banking houses of the country. You say:
"Why select one class, and talk to one
specially this morningw For the same
reason that a surgeon does not open the door
of hospital and throw in bushel of pre-
scriptions, saying: "Come, now, and get
your medicine" He first feels the pulse,
watches the symptoms, and then prescribes
for that particular case. So to-day must
be specific. The people in this audience who
are clerks are not an exceptional class. They
belong to great company of tens of thou
sands who are in this country amid circunl-
stances which will either make OF break
them for time and for eternity I should be
very slow to acknowledge that the clerks,
male and female, of other cities, are any
more honest or faithful than the clerks of our
own city. Many of these people have already
achieved a Christian manliness and Chris
tian womanliness which will be their pass
port to any position. I have seen their trials.
have watched their perplexities. There are
evils abroad which need to be hunted down,
and dragged out into the monday light.
In the first place. counsel clerks to re-
member that for the most part their clerk
ship is only school from which they are to
be graduated 1t takes about eight years to
get one Of the learned professions 1t takes
about eight years to get to be merchant
Some of you will be clerks all your lives, bui
Une sdSu ihftJoiloy VI you oio oiiy Ill d u oil
sient position After while, some Decem-
Der day. the head men of the firm will call
you into the back office, and they will say to
you: "Now, you have done well by us; we
are going to do well by you. We invite you
to have an interest in our concern" You
will bow to that edict very gracefully. Get
ting into street car to go home an old COM
rade will meet you and say: what makes
you look so happy to-nighta" "Oh," you vii
say, nothing, nothing" But in few days
your name will blossom on the sign. Either
in the store Or hsSk where you are nov, or in
some other stceb OF bank, you vii take
higher position than that which You now oc-
cupy. SO 1 feel to-day that am standing
before people who will yet have their hand